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Klezmer and Guitar music in the mid-20th century (lecture/listening session)

Workshop with trombonist Dan Blacksberg and guitarist Nick Millevoi.

The 1950s and 60s oversaw enormous changes in live and recorded music. For klezmer music, changes in the record industry and popular music of the day meant a move away from the world that produced the 78 rpm recordings that make up much of the canon of what we think of as traditional klezmer music. While local bands continued to play for simchas especially in Hasidic communities, and a few stars like Dave Tarras continued to record, this era marked a quieting of interest in the music that turned around in the early 1970s, when a new generation’s curiosity caught fire.

In this same period, the guitar was quickly rising to become the iconic instrument it remains today. Even before the emergence of stars of the late 60s like Jimi Hendrix and others, a multitude of innovative players, sounds, and genres emerged across many styles, bringing the guitar to the forefront of music and changing global music forever.

Dan and Nick will use this session to share some of their favorite tracks to explore these two strains of this volatile time in music. Through listening to and discussing music recordings with participants, they will paint a broad picture of change in sound and musical possibility and show off a few crossovers between the two that emerged.

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